According to reports, the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo’s throwing hand is much worse than Kyle Shanahan said it was on Monday.
Multiple reports say that Garoppolo has sustained a torn ligament and fracture to his right thumb. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says Garoppolo is going to try to gut it out and play on Sunday, but recent history shows that may be out of the question.
Before we get into that, let’s look at the medical diagnosis. According to UCSF Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Nirav Pandya, Garoppolo’s injury typically requires surgery, and keeps players off the field for five to six weeks. That would mean Garoppolo would miss the rest of the regular season, and all of the postseason save for a trip to the Super Bowl.
That of course is not a certainty. Matthew Stafford played with a partially torn UCL in his throwing thumb last season and didn’t miss a game. Garoppolo’s injury, however, is considered to be more serious.
Drew Brees fully tore the ligament in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL season, had to have surgery and missed five games. When he returned, Brees still had to wear a splint on the thumb.
Even if the injury isn’t as bad as the reports say, that doesn’t mean Garoppolo is out of the woods. Jay Cutler had ligament damage and a right thumb sprain in 2016 and missed five games.
At the collegiate level, Spencer Sanders of Oklahoma State tore the UCL on his throwing thumb and missed six weeks.
All to say, that the odds of Garoppolo playing on Sunday seem remote, unless the injury is less severe than reports suggest. Not only does it seem likely that Trey Lance will start on Sunday, but it seems very possible that Garoppolo has taken his last snap this season, and perhaps his last in a 49ers uniform.
